Okay, got feedback from Coach Wilkes on my videos, and here are the things that I really need to focus on correcting ASAP:
- STOP LOOKING UP!! – I have this “habit” of looking up when I Snatch. Don’t know when it started, but it’s throwing off my balance, and it MUST STOP IMMEDIATELY. I spraypainted a spot on the fence in front of where I lift so that I can focus on an area directly in front of me.
- Finish Extension / Don’t pull with arms/bend arms early – In the rapid-fire photography shots that I had taken of my Snatch, it is clear that I am rounding forward and pulling the hell out of the bar with my arms. I don’t even begin to finish the pull, and my elbows start bending at the begining of the lift b/c I’m trying to muscle the bar up. I HAVE TO FIX THIS NOW before it becomes a habit that I have to spend months trying to correct.
- Don’t Dip Forward on Squat – Keep Chest Up – I tend to dip forward badly when coming up from my squats, and I really need to work on staying upright/keeping my chest out.
- Don’t “Flop” in the bottom range of squat – control full range – Another bad habit of mine is to control the top range of a squat, but then to just kind of collapse into the bottom, and then stand up. I really need to work on controlling the weight through the full range of motion.
One of my problems is that I sometimes don’t realize that I’m making these mistakes because I don’t have anyone in my back yard to correct me, and there are no mirrors so I can’t see myself when I’m lifting. Solution – I’m going to record each workout session with my camera, and quickly review my lifts at the end of each session.
In order to help myself stay focused on correcting these things, I will be applying “motivational consequences” (as Coach Burgener called them!). When reviewing my video, I will make a note of every time that I make one of the errors above. I will then do 15 burpees for every error made. . . . . Last night I did 60 burpees – Rounded forward badly on my squats on 4 seperate occasions.
I think that reviewing my lifts daily will help me to notice where I am making mistakes, and will help me to be able to correct them immediately rather than continuing to make them and forming bad habits. Additionally, the fear of the dreaded burpee should help me to really stay focused on keeping my back straight, controling the weight in the bottom range of my squats, and not pulling with my arms on my Snatches. . . .